As the year ends I look out my window and see a snowy, cold Chicago afternoon. Yet I know that a few miles from here, underneath the protective covering of our hoophouses, delicious, fresh vegetables are still doing well. Spinach, lettuce, salad-mix, and kale are doing especially well. They don’t grow fast because of the lack of sunlight, but rather the hoophouses serve as a kind of refrigerator, keeping them safe throughout the winter.

When I was hired as Growing Home’s executive director in October 2002, the idea of combining organic agriculture and job training was often seen as entirely outlandish. At meetings, people might nod their heads in agreement, but it was easy to see that they didn’t entirely understand what Growing Home was trying to do.